Irony
by sango-to-miroku
Summary: [Miroku x Sango] The vision was firmly implanted in my head. I could see myself driving the blade smoothly into his body. I couldn't stop myself...
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: **Inuyasha and Co. do not belong to me. If they did, do you think I'd be sitting here, writing fanfiction? no -_-'****

**Irony**** – _Prologue…_**

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

'Blood… There's so much blood'

It was everywhere, seeping out of the mangled bodies of the slaughtered villagers. There was so many of them…

'Another village destroyed.

I know that Inuyasha and the others realize what happened, they just aren't saying anything. I can tell they know, just by the pity looks they are giving me. 

I can't stand it.

I can tell by the wounds on the bodies… there is no mistake. They were all killed by a chain-sickle… that must mean…

Kohaku…', Sango's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a light tap on the shoulder.

"Sango…"

Sango turned around to look at the houshi. 

"Yes, houshi-sama?", she replied, trying to hide the sadness in her voice. But her eyes gave her away. He knew her all too well. 

"Are you alright?", his voice was full of concern and worry.

Kagome and Inuyasha stopped ahead of them, remaining silent, giving the couple a moment to themselves.

"Yes, I'm fine", she answered back quietly. She kept her eyes locked with the ground, afraid that if she looked him in the eye, she wouldn't be able to keep from crying any longer.

Suddenly, he brought his cursed hand up, lifting her face to look at him.

"Sango…", his voice sounded so calm and gentle.

"I…" she didn't know what to say, she just turned around and ran. She couldn't stand to be pitied any more. 

She heard him call her name as she ran into the forest, her eyes blurry with unshed tears. She didn't know where she was going; she just kept running.

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

Miroku sighed in defeat. He didn't know what to do at the moment. They had set up camp near the village, where Sango could find them. They had been waiting for over an hour already and yet…

Sango hadn't returned yet.

"I wonder when Sango-chan will come back…" Kagome broke the hour long silence.

"She'll come back soon" Inuyasha retorted.

Miroku sighed again. He didn't know what to say. All he knew was that he was worried to death.

'What if something happens to her? What if she gets attacked? She's all alone out there…' Miroku couldn't help but worry. After all, he cared for Sango very much.

                "_To me, you are a special girl…"_

Those words echoed through his head repeatedly, as he remembered what he had said to her just a couple of weeks earlier. 

And yet, he could do nothing to ease her pain. No matter how special she was to him…

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

**A/N**: FYI, this _is a Sango/Miroku fic. There will be practically no Inu/Kag moments, or very few… maybe. I'm kinda inspriried right now, after watching my beloved episode 118 a couple of times over. I'll probably be extra inspired after I see episode 132, where Miroku finally proposes to Sango! Yatta! ^-^ Anyways, if you have a Sango/Miroku fic, please tell me and I will read it! Onegai, **R&R**! **Ja**** ne ~.^**_

…09-23-03…


	2. Expect the Unexpected

**Disclaimer: Inuyasha and Co. do not belong to me. *huggles Miroku plushie* o wait… *thinks* … im so broke I don't even have money for a Miroku plushie! T_T so I obviously own Inuyasha, ne? ^-^'**

**A/N: To all the ppl who reviewed, thx sooo much ^-^ I promise I'll R&R your fics as soon as I get the chance. High School is so hard… hw… too much hw… I'll try my best to update this fic as soon as I can ~.^**

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

"_Itsu made mo dare yori mo soba ni itai no  
Kono hiroi sora no shita de meguriaeta anata_

_Hohoemi mo kanashimi mo wakeaeru ne to  
Mune de sou kanjite iru anata to __nara"_

**~~~**

"Forever, more than anyone, I want to be with you  
Below this spacious sky above, you who I met by chance   
Through all the joy and the pain, we will share it together

In my heart that's how I feel, when I am with you"

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

**Irony**** – _Chapter 1…_**

**…Expect the Unexpected…**

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

Sango had no idea how long she had been running for, or where she was going. She just needed to get away, to be alone. She needed to think.

Finally she stopped, out of breath. 

'Kohaku…' 

The sheer thought of her brother brought tears to her eyes. She sunk to her knees, as a few tears silently dripped down her face. 

Oh, how she hated crying. Crying showed a person's weakness. She knew she had to stay strong. 

She sat on the ground, pulling her knees up to her chest. 

She sniffed a few times; she wasn't crying anymore. Sango sighed, lifting her head to look up at the sky. 

'It's getting late. I should get back to camp, everyone is probably worried about--' her thoughts were interrupted when she heard a quiet rustling sound, coming from the bushes behind her. 

'Houshi-sama must have followed me here…' she figured, slightly angered by her lack of privacy. Sango stood up and dusted herself off. 

"Houshi-sama?" she asked out loud. Something still felt so wrong about this…

She turned around and gasped. She _definitely hadn't been expecting this… _

"Naraku!"

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

"Miroku, will you stop the fucking pacing!" Inuyasha yelled angrily in irritation.

Miroku stopped. 

"If it bothers you so much, I shall go elsewhere" Miroku replied calmly.

Inuyasha just snorted, so Miroku continued his pacing.

Kagome sighed, 'Miroku-sama must be so worried, Sango-chan has been gone for a couple hours already…'

"Inuyasha?" Kagome said quietly while petting a sleeping Kirara with her left hand.

"What?" Inuyasha retorted and glared at the girl sitting across from him. 

"Sango-chan has been gone for a while now, maybe we should go search for her…" she gave him a pleading look.

Inuyasha stared at her for a moment, obviously unable to refuse. He sighed. 

"Alright, I'll follow her scent if you want" Inuyasha answered. 

"Arigato" she smiled sweetly at him, leaning forward to rub his ears. Oh, how she loved doing that. They were so soft and…

Suddenly, Inuyasha's head shot up. His expression turned into an angry one as he sniffed the air. Miroku also stopped pacing while the once sleeping Kirara woke up.

"What's wrong?" Kagome was sort of confused…

"Naraku is nearby!", Inuyasha shouted out, shooting up in an instant.

_Now_, Miroku was really worried… Sango was all by herself, with Naraku nearby… 

Slowly, he pieced the puzzle together. 

He scowled 'The bastard better not hurt her…'

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

Sango didn't know what to do. She was alone, without her Hiraikotsu, facing her worst enemy.

She knew one thing- she couldn't let him know that she was afraid.

"You bastard! Where is Kohaku?" She glared at him.

"You don't seem very happy to see me, Sango", Naraku replied calmly. There wasn't the slightest hint of emotion in his voice.

Sango didn't answer him. Instead she flicked her wrist, making the hidden blade pop out from under her sleeve. 

Naraku smirked. "Are you going to fight me… by _yourself_?" he added on sarcastically, "How amusing…"

Sango was enraged. 'He finds this _funny!' _

"Answer me! Where is my brother?!" she cried, jumping forward. With as much force as she had, she slashed at Naraku with her blade.

His expression didn't change, even as a few of his roots fell to the ground beside him. 

Sango landed gracefully on her feet, flicking her wrist as the blade fell onto the ground beside her. 

She turned around to face him, pulling out her katana, the last weapon she had with her. 

"You that you can hurt me with a sword?" Naraku let out an evil chuckle as the roots Sango had just slashed off reattached themselves to his body.

'Kuso…' She kept her eyes on Naraku as he looked back at her with amusement. He seemed to be having fun…

"You are quite useless, taijiya" 

"Shut up! I'll kill you myself!" she lunged herself at him again, slashing mindlessly. She had let her anger get the better of her again…

He wasn't even fighting back! 

Sango landed back on her feet. 'This is pointless. Even the Kaze no Kize has no effect on that asshole…'

Finally he spoke again, his expression turned evil and almost… sinister? 

'What's he planning this time…?' Sango wondered. 

"As useless as you are, you could prove to be quite useful to _me_" he eyed Sango, who had a disgusted look on her face.

"What?!", she cried out 'Does he think I will join him?' 

'He must be kidding me…--' suddenly, she felt something…

Looking down, she noticed a vine wrap itself around her ankle. He gasped as another root shot out from behind her, knocking her katana out of her hand.

"Wh- " she stopped talking, trying to free herself as more vines wrapped themselves around her body.

She struggled, but it didn't help her much at all…

"What the fuck?!" she was stuck.

The vines had wrapped themselves around her entire body, suspending her in midair.

Where the hell was her blade when she needed it?

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

**A/N**: Hmmm… well I'd have to say I updated pretty fast ^-^ I'm so proud of myself… hehe. Today, I got my inspiration from the second movie… *sigh* I love that movie… so many great MiroSan moments. BTW, to all the ppl who asked, I promise I'll R&R all your Miroku x Sango fics! ^-^ Please spend a minute of your time to review… please? ^-^ Arigato! Ja ne!

…09-25-03…


	3. Caught by Surprise

**Disclaimer: Inuyasha and Co. do not belong to me… but Miroku does belong to Sango! ^-^**

**A/N: Thanks so much to all the people who reviewed! I'm not going to tell you what's going to happen later on in the story, or that would just ruin the whole thing, ne? ~.^ Anyways, I was just going to ask you what you prefer, either:**

A. Longer Chapters, but my updates will take a lot longer.

**OR…******

B. Chapters like I write now, but the updates will be more frequent.

Tell me what you guys think. Arigato ^__^

BTW… I can't wait until November 10th! That's when Episode 132 is airing in Japan. We finally get to watch 'the proposal' live on television! WAI! ^-^

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

_"Tasuketai, sukuitai, ore ni dekiru nara   
Inochi sae nagedashite, kimi no tame ni...   
Fuan no toki, tsurai toki, ore ga tsuite iru   
Itsumo misete ite __kure__, kimi no egao"****_

**~~~**

"I want to help you, I want to rescue you, if I can do it   
I would even throw away my life, all for you...   
When you're uneasy, when it's painful, I am there with you   
Always keep showing to me your smiling face"****

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

**Irony**** – _Chapter 2…_**

**…Caught by Surprise…**

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

Sango tried her best to break the strong grip the vines had around her body, but her attempts were futile. She had to face it, she was stuck. Now she was going to die. She was going to be killed by her worst enemy. She was going to die without ever getting her revenge for her father and comrades, without getting her brother back, without ever admitting her feelings to…

She shook her head clear of those thoughts.

'What do I do?' She asked herself, but obviously got no responses. 

"Do not worry, I won't kill you…" Naraku said calmly, coming up to be face to face with Sango.

Sango gave him no reply except her cold glare. 

"…yet" he finished.

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

Inuyasha raced through the forest, Kagome and Shippou riding on his back. Miroku rode on a transformed Kirara. 

"Are we almost there yet?" Kagome asked.

Inuyasha kept running forward, "I think its right up ahead" he replied.

"There it is!" Miroku called out as everyone came to a halt in front of the light blue glowing wall.

"It's Naraku's barrier." Inuyasha stated the obvious, pulling out his Tetsusaiga.

The small dull katana immediately turned into a humungous fang, and then turned red. 

Everyone but Inuyasha stood back.

"I'll destroy that damn barrier in one hit!" he yelled, slashing at it with the Tetsusaiga.

He felt himself being pushed back, as if the barrier was resisting. 

"Dammit!" he shouted, slashing at the barrier harder. 

Suddenly, an explosion sounded.

Finally, it cracked.

The barrier glowed a little bit before it started to disappear.

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

"An explosion" Sango said out loud, turning her head over to the left to see what it was.

"Someone has disrupted my barrier" Naraku said angrily as the smoke from the explosion slowly started to clear.

"Naraku!" Inuyasha cried, running out of the smoke with everyone else behind him.

Sango let out a sigh of relief. Maybe she would live after all…

"Sango!"

Sango looks towards Miroku. He had such a relived look on his face. 

It looked so… cute, Sango decided.

She would have giggled, if the situation had been different and she _wasn't_ strung up in midair by a bunch of vines, helpless to protect herself from Naraku. 

But she was, so her expression didn't falter. 

She stared at him, finally noticing the fact that he had Hiraikotsu on his back. 

'He must have taken it to give to--' he thoughts were interrupted when she heard Kagome shriek, a vine shooting out of the ground in front of her.

"Get back!" Sango screamed at her as Inuyasha pulled Kagome out of the way.

Suddenly, another vine shot out from under the ground. It headed for…

"Houshi-sama!" she cried in terror. She could only watch helplessly as it headed towards Miroku from behind.

Thankfully, Miroku took the hint. He dodged, giving Sango a grateful smile.

"Naraku!" Inuyasha ran towards him, his Tetsusaiga raised above his head, prepared to strike him.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you" Naraku smiled malevolently, edging towards Sango. 

She tried to back away, struggling against the vines again, but it didn't help at all.

"Get away from her!" Miroku was enraged. 

Naraku smiled evilly "What will you do, houshi? Will _you_ stop me?" 

Miroku grit his teeth, balling his hands into fists. 

He held his ground, gripping his staff so hard he almost broke it in half.

Naraku threw a satisfied look at him. 

Suddenly, he raised his hand towards Sango.

She gasped as she felt his hand grip her neck tightly, cutting off her air supply. 

"Sango!" Miroku couldn't just stand there and watch as the woman he cared for the most got choked to death.

He pulled an ofuda. Closing his eyes, he quickly mumbled some chant to himself.

"Make a move and I'll snap her neck" 

Miroku couldn't risk it, he stopped chanting, dropping the ofuda on the ground beside him. He couldn't use it anyway.

All he could do was watch…

 His eyes locked with Sango's. He could tell she could barely keep hers open.

Naraku didn't move, instead he tightened his grip on Sango's neck as she let out a pained gasp. She was barely conscious.

Miroku grimaced at the look Sango had on her face. 

Then he heard it. It was a… chain?

"Miroku-sama!" 

"Miroku!" he heard Inuyasha yell at him from behind.

Miroku turned around quickly, noticing Kohaku's chain-sickle that was previously aimed at his back. He jumped out of the way, and almost dodged it. 

_Almost_...

The blade hit him in the shoulder, piercing his flesh. The hit had sent him airborne, sending him flying backwards. The flight ended as he collided with the nearest tree. His face contorted in pain as he gripped his left shoulder and slumped over slightly.

Miroku looked up wearily, seeing Kohaku standing in front of him, holding the blood covered sickle.

Kohaku quickly retreated behind Naraku.

Naraku was amused, he watched as a tear ran down Sango's cheek.

"Houshi-sama…" she managed to choke out before her eyes closed as she gave into the darkness.

"Miroku!" Shippou ran towards him, with Kagome and Inuyasha not far behind. Kagome had been riding on Kirara for protection from the vines.

Miroku managed to stand up, ignoring the pain, he glanced at Sango. Then, Naraku had released his grip on her. Miroku noted the mark on Sango's neck, where Naraku's hand was before.

Naraku made a swift hand motion, causing the vines to start retreating. Sango fell to the ground, after that she didn't move.

"Sango-chan!" Kagome looked terrified, and tried to run towards the taijiya. Inuyasha stopped her.

Miroku stood up. He stared at Sango in horror.

'She couldn't be…' he took off and started to run towards her until…

"Fuujin no Mai!" 

Oh, great. Now just about everyone was here…

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

**A/N**: *Phew* This chapter was kind of confusing, even for me… lol. Ok, brief overview, Sango got choked, etc… Kohaku came out of nowhere, after Kagome sensed his jewel shard a little too late, Miroku got slashed and Sango… well… I'm not saying anything… I think that's about it hehe. ^-^; If you guys have questions, just ask. And to the people, who were guessing on what will happen to Sango, guess what?

                _I'll never tell…. _

^-^' lol Keep reading and find out for yourself. Please R&R. Ja Ne!

…09-26-03… damn ff.net wouldn't let me upload this chapter T_T;;


	4. Out of Sight

**Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, Kagome, Miroku… *huggles Miroku plushie*… , Sango… *huggles Sango pluahie*… , Kirara… *huggles Kirara plushie*… , Shippou, Naraku ( I don't wanna own him anyways ^-^;; ), etc… I could go on and on but I've decided to cut my list short due to the fact that I'm inspired! ^-^**

**A/N: *Sigh* school is so tiring. Plus, the climate in New York is so seriously messed up. Yesterday it was 70 degrees, today its 40! *shakes head* it's weird, but I'm glad. I love the winter. lol ^-^' Anyways, I'm trying really hard with these action scenes, especially because I am much better at the romance or drama parts of the story. But I tried very hard, so enjoy! ^__^**

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

_"Atsumareba hora   
Kirei na hana ni naru wa  
Tsuyoi hana ni naru wa  
Yami wo toki wo arashi wo  
Taetete yukeru no"_

**~~~**

"Look-- when we come together,  
We become beautiful,  
We become strong,  
Capable of withstanding  
Any gloom, any passage of time, any storm"****

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

**Irony**** – _Chapter 3…_**

**…Jump for Cover…**

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

"Fuujin no Mai!" Kagura had just arrived, releasing a swarm of wind blades headed for the Inuyasha-tachi. 

"Kya~a~a~a~a…!" Kagome shrieked as Inuyasha pulled her out of the way, blocking a couple of the blades with Tetsusaiga.

Miroku was quite aware of what was going on. Quickly, he looked towards Sango who was sprawled out on the ground, just a few feet ahead of him. She still hadn't moved.

He had heard Inuyasha scream at him to get out of the way from somewhere behind him, warning him of the attack Kagura had sent towards him and Sango. 

But at the moment, he didn't care about himself.

The wind blades were headed straight for Sango.

'Sango…!'

There was no time to think.

If he didn't do something, Sango would die. She'd get sliced in half!

"Sango!" he cried.

Using all the energy he had left, he ran forward quickly, throwing himself on top of her.

'I can use myself as a shield…' he strategized, wrapping his arms protectively around the woman underneath him.

For a split second, he stopped. He felt her chest rising up and down slowly. She was breathing.

He had never been so relieved in his life. 

'Please stay alive…' 

That was his last thought before he felt a blinding pain shoot through his back. He lost his grip on Sango as he was thrown backwards into the air. He felt something sharp digging into his back, slicing through the skin and muscle. He clenched his teeth as he felt himself flying backward. He landed on the ground a couple of feet back with a _thud_.

After that, it was all darkness…

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

"Miroku!" Inuyasha yelled out as he and Kagome watched the scene unfold in front of them.

They could only stand there as the houshi threw himself on top of Sango, covering her from the oncoming wind attacks. 

He himself had gotten hit instead…

"Miroku-sama!" Kagome ran towards the fallen houshi. He was losing a lot of blood! 

And fast…

She increased her pace, Shippou clinging to her shoulder with an iron grip.

He had been watching this all happen. He saw it in slow motion… he was too terrified to say anything.

"Fools…" Kagura let out a light chuckle, closing her fan. She flashed Inuyasha a cocky smile, which only pissed him off more.

"Kagura, you are no longer needed here" Naraku said, his voice didn't rise above a whisper.

The wind user nodded at him, pulling a tiny white feather out of her hair.

Kagome kneeled next to Miroku, trying to stop the blood that was pouring out of the wound on his back.

Kirara sat by Sango's side, licking her hand to try and wake her up.

"Kagura!" Inuyasha ran at her, his eyes glistened with rage.

She smirked at him, awake of the fact that he was unable to use the Kaze no Kizu as long as she was around.

He didn't even bother to try use Tetsusaiga against her.

Instead, he dug his claws into the palm of his hand, drawing blood.

"Hijin Ketsusou!" he let out a deadly attack of gleaming red blades.

Kagura sighed. "Pathetic…" she jumped into the air, avoiding the attack. 

Inuyasha growled in frustration.

Quickly, Kagura pulled out her fan, sending a few wind blades at Kirara, who gracefully leapt out of the way.

Kagura closed her fan once more, landing right next to Sango, though she did not acknowledge her presence.

She simply ignored Sango, who was lying but a few feet away from her. 

"Take the taijiya with you" Naraku commanded.

Kagura almost sweat dropped.

Kagome let out a gasp. 'This is bad…' she thought in panic.

 She turned her head to face Naraku, eyes narrowed.

"You want me to take _her?" she asked him sarcastically._

"Aa" he replied coldly, turning away from her. 

"But why--" 

"Do not question me" he gave her a menacing glare.

'But she's of no use to use to him…' she mused silently to herself, furrowing her eyebrows as she kneeled down by Sango.

Kagura gripped Sango by the collar of her taijiya uniform. Her little white feather grew larger as she flung Sango onto it.

Sango showed no reaction. 

'The girl is still alive…' Kagura thought as she stepped onto the feather herself.

"Sango-chan!" Kagome cried as Kagura rose up into the air.

Naraku also retreated, releasing a sea of miasma into the air to conceal himself.

"Come back!!" Inuyasha raced after the floating feather as it disappeared from view into the miasma, along with Naraku and Kohaku.

After a few seconds, he realized that it was pointless. He couldn't see anything. He could barely breath…

He clenched his fists.

 "Kuso…" he mumbled angrily to himself.

They were gone…

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

**A/N**: I need inspiration… Anyways, please R&R. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to ask. ~.^

                Also, in one of the reviews I got, someone asked what I meant when I said "…just about everyone…" in my previous chapter. FYI, I meant that first Naraku showed up, then Kohaku, then Kagura. lol. Poor Kanna, she must feel so left out and unloved ^-^;;;. Well's it's 2 am in the morning, and I'm sitting here, typing this. I'm sleepy, so ima go to sleep. It's a 3 day weekend! Wai! ^-^ Ja ne!

…10-06-03… 


	5. Thinking Back

**Disclaimer: *sigh* Ok, let's go over this again… I don't own Inuyasha. There. Happy? T_T;;; **

~*~*~*~*~*~

"**Koukai**** wa shite inai**

**Anata**** to susunda michi **da****** kara****…"**

***

"_I am not having regrets_

_Because this is the path I went down with you…"_

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

**Irony**** – _Chapter 4…_**

**…Revelations…**

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

The heavy fog didn't make it any easier to see, besides the pouring rain and strong wind. Kagome walked silently next to the fire cat youkai, the kitsune cub was clinging to Kirara's neck for warmth. She carried a baby pink umbrella in her left hand, in hopes of not getting completely soaked. The unconscious houshi rode atop Kirara, his face contorted in pain from the multiple wounds on his body that he had conceived from the earlier battle. Inuyasha strode beside Kagome, sulking. He had _volunteered_ his red haori to cover Miroku, and had refused to take an umbrella from Kagome, he babbled about it being for weaklings such as women and children. Kagome let out a prolonged sigh, breaking the hour long silence. 

She shivered, running her hands up and down her arms, hoping to obtain some warmth. Her clothing was totally soaked, clinging to her body uncomfortably. 

"We'll have to look for shelter" Kagome turned around suddenly, meeting Inuyasha's eyes. 

"Shelter?" she echoed, questioning what she had just heard. Was she hearing things? 

"You'll catch a cold this way. Plus, Miroku won't last much longer this way; we need to treat his injuries." He had the most sincere look on his face. 

"Inuyasha…" she smiled, catching him in a light hug.

He blushed slightly, embracing her back for a moment, before she broke away from him. They both blushed.

"Inuyasha?..." Kagome stared at the ground, refusing to look at him.

"Hmm?"

"Do you think that Sango-chan is--?" she felt her eyes blur with tears again, she clenched her fists. The thought of losing her best friend was unthinkable!

"She'll be fine"

She looked up at him as he moved his right hand towards her face, brushing a stray hair behind her ear.

"We'll find her" he reassured the girl and she nodded gratefully, turning around to keep walking forward.

A couple more minutes of walking through the rain and fog passed quietly, a couple of sighs, nothing more.

"Kagome" the girl looked up, throwing a questioning gaze at Inuyasha.

"What is it?" she asked him quietly.

"I smell humans up ahead. Must be a village"

Kagome's face lit up with joy. Finally, she could have a good rest and a good night's sleep!

They walked for a couple more minutes before promptly running into a small village.

"We're here!" Shippo exclaimed excitedly. He had just woken up to the smell of fresh fish roasting.

They walked for a few minutes, reaching the center square. There were some people outside, drying clothes—

"Miroku-sama!" a young childlike voice called.

The Inuyasha-tachi quickly turned around, ending up face-to-face with a distressed teenager, staring at the unconscious houshi atop Kirara's back.

"Koharu-chan!" 

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

Sango couldn't move, couldn't breathe. For the very first time in her entire life, she had felt completely and utterly helpless. Struggling to open her eyes, her eyelids felt as if they each weighed a ton. She tried squirming a little bit. She wasn't very comfortable, after all. Looking around, she could tell that she was lying on a futon, covered with a light blanket. Her neck throbbed from the earlier incident. She lightly lifted her hand and brought it to her neck, wincing at contact.

Wait…

Where was she? She didn't know. Sango remembered what had happened before. Her friends had come to help her, after she had tried to face Naraku by herself.

'Though, in the end, someone I love always ends up getting hurt…' It was true. 

'Kohaku, he…' she bit her lip.

'Houshi-sama got hurt because of me…' It _was_ all her fault. 

This had all happened before. A couple of weeks back, while Miroku and herself had traveled to Mt. Hakureizan, seeking Naraku's whereabouts. They had come across Kagura, who as usual, had a swarm of youkai and saimyoushou with her as well. 

'I got distracted as I threw Hiraikotsu, when I saw Kohaku. I got myself knocked out. That time, houshi-sama sucked up Naraku's poisonous insects to save me…'

                _"If it means the girl I care for will live a little longer, then I don't need my life…" _

'That time… he almost died because of me as well'

Using her arms for support, she slowly lifted herself off the futon, struggling to stand up. She had never felt so weak before, suddenly, her knees buckled. She fell forward into a sitting position, hoping that her head would stop spinning. She sighed and closed her eyes, massaging her temples with her fingers lightly. 

"It's no use" the calm womanly voice came from another corner of the room.

Sango looked around the dark room through her blurry vision. 

"Who's there?" she called out.

"Don't waste your energy, taijiya."

There was that voice again! Sango furrowed her eyebrows, trying to remember…

That voice had sounded so familiar…

The floor creaked lightly as a young black-haired woman in a lovely red and white kimono gracefully stepped into view, lightly fingering the fan she was holding.

Sango sighed in defeat. She knew where she was…

"Kagura…"

The wind-user smirked, sending a single blade towards Sango.

Sango gasped. She didn't even realize what had happened at first. Before she knew it, she felt herself flying backwards, and then falling onto her back painfully. She looked down at her stomach, at her formerly black cat taijiya uniform, now stained in crimson blood, which was flowing like a river from her open wound. The shock of what had happened had dulled the pain slightly as she tried desperately to stay conscious. Her attempts were futile. She closed her eyes. 

She thought of her father and comrades, dying before her very eyes.

She remembered her own brother's scythe, embedding itself in her back, tearing through the skin and muscle.

Her friends, who had now become like her family…

All of them meant so much to her…

_'Houshi-sama…_' Images flashed in her head, racing through her mind.

And then there was only red…

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

**A/N**: I'm sooo sorry I took this long to update! School is just getting really hard, homework, finals, projects… *sigh* I'm trying hard to balance everything out. I kept telling myself that after I finish my homework, I'll write my fics, but I just fell asleep ^^;;; OMG I'm so excited! Episode 132, the episode I've been waiting for is playing in Japan on November 10th! Yatta! I think this chapter is a lil bit longer than the rest. lol. ^^;;;

…10-29-03… ¬.¬;; damn… im soo sorry I took so long to update! I'm trying my best, honestly. It's hard to maintain a good average, work, etc… I'll try update sooner! Ja ne! ~.^


	6. Changed

**Disclaimer: Inuyasha doesn't belong to me. It belong to Rumiko Takahashi… ::sigh:: ***

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

**"kokoro no katachi soto   
nazo te wasure zu ni obete"******

*** * ***

_"Lightly tracing the shape of a heart,   
without forgetting, please remember"___

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

**Irony**** – _Chapter 5…_**

**…Changed…**

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

The young woman knelt, she kept her head bowed. The sharp pain that tore at her stomach remained, but it was a different kind of pain. She couldn't control her body, it moved on its own. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Just silence. She slightly lifted her head to look up at the figure in front of her. The one she had hated most. The monster who hate turned Kikyou and Inuyasha against each other. The one who had cursed Miroku with the Kazaana; The one who had used her brother as a puppet to kill her father and comrades. Using her brother against her…

"Sango" his voice was calm, emotionless. 

She clenched her teeth, throwing him a hateful glare. 

"Your body no longer belongs to you" he stated, his lips curling up into a sinister smirk.

"As long as the Shikon no Kakera remains in your body, you belong to me"

The color drained from her face.

'I have a… Shikon no Kakera in my body?' The thought horrified her. 

'Am I… like Kohaku now?' she wanted to ask, but she couldn't bring herself to do so. She couldn't speak willingly either.

"You will prove quite useful to me. None of your friends will lay a hand on you. They could never harm you."

It all made sense now…

"Kill them."

'Iie…' the taijiya reluctantly rose to her feet, hefting the bone boomerang that lay next to her onto her back. She gracefully strode out of the room, heading outside. 

'If I could just remove the shard from my body…' 

The shard had been imbedded in her stomach, just where Kagura's wind blade had hit. 

'So that's why it's healed so rapidly', There was no more blood, not even a scar. 

'If I get the shard out… I'll gain control of my body again' Sango kept walking. She didn't know where she was going. Naraku had obviously known that there was no point in searching. Her friends would come to her. 

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

"Koharu-chan!" Kagome walked up and greeting the young girl with a hug. 

Koharu didn't react to that, her eyes never leaving Miroku.

"What happened to Miroku-sama?!" she ran up to the unconscious houshi, examining him.

"Miroku-sama got injured in an earlier battle with a youkai" Kagome explained.

"Stupid bouzo almost got himself killed, being so reckless and--"

"Osuwari!"

The poor hanyou's face implanted itself to the ground with a _crash_.

"Kagome, you bitch!" the muffled cry came from the ground, as Inuyasha tried to speak through a mouthful of dirt.

Kagome sighed in annoyance, ignoring him. 

"Since you left me here, I've moved in by myself. Bring Miroku-sama into my hut, You can tend to his wounds there" Koharu motioned to the a tiny wooden house right next to them. 

"Alright" Kagome gave her a thankful smiled as Inuyasha rose to his feet slowly, dusting himself off, still glaring at Kagome.

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

Miroku winced, opening his eyes slowly. He had woken up to the sounds of quiet chatter coming from a few feet away.

He groaned, sitting up slowly. He blinked a few times to clear his vision, which was a little blurry at first.

"Miroku-sama!" he turned around as the young girl threw her arms around him.

"K-Koharu?" he stuttered, confused at where he was and what the girl was doing here.

"Miroku-sama, how are you feeling" he saw Kagome sitting by Inuyasha in another corner of the room.

"I've been better" he replied absently. The wound on his back did hurt, but it was healing. He remembered shielding Sango from the wind blades. 

'I hope she's alright' He sighed.

Turning his head towards the other corner, where Shippou was asleep, curled up with Kirara.

Kagome, Inuyasha, Shippou, Kirara, even Koharu…

But then…

"Where is Sango?" 

He noted how the faces of the people in the hut darkened. The room silenced.

Koharu, being the outsider of the group had been told of what had happened to the taijiya. She remained quiet.

'The question seemed simple enough…' 

Miroku noticed how Kagome kept her eyes to the ground, her eyes blurring up with tears. He couldn't understand what was going on.

What had he missed?

'Tears…?' Miroku felt his heart clench.

"Where is Sango?" he repeated the question through clenched teeth, hoping for her to walk happily into the hut as if nothing was wrong. Maybe she was taking a bath…

Maybe she went out for a walk…

Hell, he'd even be happy if she was outside talking to another man. Just as long as she was okay…

Finally the hanyou spoke up, gathering enough courage to inform the houshi of what was really going on. He answered him, plain and simple, "Sango's gone"

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

**A/N**: Wow im evil. I love cliffies, ne? ^^;;; For some reason, I just love torturing my favorite characters ^^;; Since those are Miroku and Sango, that's what I do hehe ^_^ Bishie torture is funPlez R&R! Arigato! Ja ne!! ! ~.^

…11-03-03… ¬.¬;; 


	7. Unexpected Arrival

**Disclaimer: I own nothing Rumiko Takahashi does… ^^;;**

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

**"Dare mo hitori ja nai  
Ai wo shinjiteru  
Unmei no kizuna  
Ikuokusenman no toki wo koete yuku  
Shimpi no kiseki de  
Watashi no mune tsutsunde"**

*** * ***

_"No one exists alone;  
I believe in our love.  
The bonds of our destiny are  
Crossing over eons of time, and,  
By some mysterious miracle,  
Are binding up my heart"_

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

**Irony**** – _Chapter 6…_**

**…Unexpected Arrival…**

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

_"Sango's gone…"_

Those two words echoed in Miroku's head repeatedly.__

He stared at the hanyou, dumbfounded. He blinked in confusion, not fully comprehending what was going on.

                _Gone…_

"Where… is she?" Miroku choked out, swallowing hard. This terrible feeling that he had, the feeling that made his stomach overturn. 

Something was _very wrong here…_

The silence in the room lingered for a moment longer.

"Naraku…" Kagome finally spoke up, her eyes full of compassion as she gazed at the houshi.

Miroku's heart seized. 

_Naraku…_

Just the mention of that bastard's name made his blood boil.

"…he took her" Kagome finished, letting out a frustrated sigh. Her eyes locked with the floor once more. You could tell she did not want to be the one to break the news.

The moment she had finished speaking, Miroku had felt his heart shatter into a thousand tiny pieces. 

'I lost her…' Miroku didn't say anything for a couple of minutes, taking the time to grasp the situation. 

"Miroku-sama?..." Kagome gazed questionably at the houshi, trying to decipher his reaction.

Miroku didn't answer. 

In fact, he had never been so pissed, and yet so scared in his entire life. His eyes flared with anger and hatred.

'If he does anything to her…I'll…' That was it. He snapped. 

This… wasn't supposed to happen!

He clenched his right hand into a fist, ramming it into the nearest wall with all his strength. The house shook slightly. Kagome and Koharu let out a gasp, slightly taken aback. Inuyasha just stared at the houshi in surprise, a query eyebrow raised.

Miroku, usually being the most calm and nonviolent person in the group was now acting like Inuyasha…

Koharu wasn't sure of what to say. She had never seen Miroku in such a state either. She was now sure that he loved the taijiya, as much as she hated to admit it to herself. Surely, Koharu was still very much in love with Miroku, but now she was sure that the feeling was no mutual. 

"Miroku-sama, calm down, I'm sure--" she was interrupted. 

"I'll get her back" Miroku stated, his voice unwavering. He sounded certain, there was no doubt.

He **would get her back. **

No matter what… 

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

Sango was exhausted. Though her body kept walking, she herself felt as if she was about to collapse. She hadn't rested, eaten or drank in almost an entire day.

She let out a heavy sigh, her hand still clutching her sheathed katana. She had been trying to compose herself the entire time. Trying to stay calm. 

'Nothing to panic about… I just need to remove the shard, and I'll be free… I just can't panic…'

'A village…?' she thought curiously, seeing the multiple numbers of cottages up ahead of her atop a small hill.  

She gasped as she felt her right arm release her katana. Instead, she reached up, hefting Hiraikotsu off her back, preparing to throw.

'Oh god…' Okay, _now was the time to panic. _

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

"Kagome?" the hanyou asked as he watched her stand quickly. She furrowed her eyebrows, twirling around to face the screen door that lead outside. 

"I sense it…" 

She froze for a minute, as if to clarify what she was about to say.

"…a Shikon no Kakera is nearby. It's very close" Kagome said. reaching for her bow and arrows.

Inuyasha's face suddenly bore a slight smirk. This is what he had been waiting for! 

He could go out, take his frustrations and anger out on some youkai, and even get a Shikon no Kakara as a reward…

Wait…

Inuyasha stopped, sniffing the air. 

Was he imagining it or was this…

Sango's scent?

No. He wasn't imagining it. "It's Sango!" he called out before rushing out of the hut. 

Kagome gasped. 'Sango-chan is here…' this could either turn out very good or very bad…

"Koharu-chan, stay here with Miroku-sama" Kagome added on before abruptly running out of the hut after Inuyasha. 

Miroku was still in shock. This was all happening so fast! He had to see her… 

He had to see Sango.

"Be careful…" Koharu shouted to the closing door. She sighed closing her eyes; she leaned against the wall to relax for a minute. Suddenly, she heard a shuffling noise. 

She sighed again, opening her eyes to find herself alone in the hut. 

Miroku wasn't there.

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

**A/N**: Wow… this chapter was so completely and utterly pointless. But, nonetheless, next chapter is action! ^^ I think.. lol. o0o Sango's guna attack the village! BWA HA HA HA HA!! ^^;; lol srry… im kinda hyper. 

WAIII!! Episode 132 is tomorrow!! I'm so happy! As soon as I see it this week, I'll write an extra long chapter ^_^ Hmmm… I had some ideas to write a M/S AU fic. Should I do that? Seemed like fun. Lemme know what you guys think. BTW, I appreciate the reviews so much! THX! Each and every one of them brightens up my day. I love you guys, thx!! ^^;;

                Also… before I forget ^^;; Don't worry ppl, I love bishie torture just as much as you guys do. Sure I torture Sango a lot, but I like torturing Miroku wayyyy more ^_^ Miroku torture coming up in upcoming chapters. lol. I know, I'm EVIL! ) Sometimes, being evil is a good thing, ne? ^.~ 

Ja ne!  ~Sango_to_Miroku~

…11-09-03… ¬.¬;; 


	8. The Attack Part 1

**Disclaimer: I own nothing Rumiko Takahashi does… ^^;;**

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

**"Umarekawaru kokoro shinjite mitai..."**

*** * ***

_"I want to try and believe our hearts will be reborn..."_

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

**Irony**** – _Chapter 7…_**

**…The Attack - Zenpen (Part 1)****…**

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

"It's coming from down there" Kagome pointed towards the end of the village, to a downward slope.

Inuyasha gave her a slight nod. He continued running forward. 

"Is it really Sango-chan?" Kagome questioned the hanyou, her raven hair ruffled and blowing behind her due to the strong wind. 

"It's Sango's scent, that's all I can tell you" he replied gruffly.

Kagome sighed.

Suddenly, Inuyasha halted abruptly as they reached their mark. 

Kagome's eyes widened disbelievingly. 

"Sango!" Inuyasha yelled out, seeing the taijiya walking casually towards them, Hiraikotsu raised above her head.

Panic coursed through Kagome's veins, she bit her lower lip as Inuyasha set her down on the slippery wet grass. 

She furrowed her eyebrows, praying mentally to herself that she was seeing things. Sure, she was happy to see Sango but…

"I think Sango-chan…" 

Kagome stopped for a second, furrowing her eyebrows further. She couldn't believe what she was seeing!

Inuyasha gave her a confused look, his eyes darting from the miko to the taijiya.

"What?" Inuyasha asked.

He turned back to face Sango, who was now only a few meters away from him.

"Hey Sango, what happened to you back ther--" he shut himself off as the taijiya took a swing at his head, narrowly missing it as he dodged.

Sango narrowed her eyes at her two companions. She brought her right arm back, hurling the massive boomerang once more.

Kagome let out a surprised cry as Inuyasha shoved her out of the way protectively.

"Sango, what the hell are you doing?!" Inuyasha shouted at the taijiya angrily, setting Kagome down next to him carefully.

Sango just stared blankly at him, catching her weapon as it returned to her.

"What's wrong wi--" Inuyasha felt something grip his haori sleeve lightly. 

"Kagome?" he questioned the girl, who looked up at him with tear filled eyes.

His eyes widened. 

What had he done?

"Sango-chan has a Shikon no Kakera…"

She took a deep breathe and continued.

"…embedded in her…"

"What?!" Inuyasha shouted, glaring at the miko.

"I don't know what happened! But I can see it…" Kagome tried her best to compose herself, without sounding more-or-less hysterical. 

"What do I do then?" the hanyou spat, dodging another one of Sango's attacks.

"I…" she cut off.

He looked at the miko, searching her face for a reply.

"I don't know!" she shouted, tears brimming in her eyes.

He muttered something under his breath, flipping away from Hiraikotsu once more. 

Sango gracefully caught the boomerang, hefting it onto her back. She gripped her katana, ready to attack again.

"Sango-chan, stop it!" Kagome pleaded, running up to grip Sango's arm.

Sango glanced at the miko, a sinister smile was visible on her lips. 

"Sango-chan?" the miko released her grip slightly; afraid of the hateful look her friend had just given her.

The taijiya didn't seem to care, rapidly unsheathing her sword; she brought it down full force, slicing down the miko's arm.

Kagome gave a pained cry. Gripping her bleeding wound, she fell backwards. 

"Kagome!" Inuyasha gripped Sango's arm painfully, his claws digging into her skin, drawing blood. He sent her flying down the hill. She gave no reaction, her expression didn't waver as she landed on the ground a small distance away.

Inuyasha ran up to the miko worriedly, wrapping his haori around her. 

"I know she didn't mean to…" Kagome let out a whisper, her teeth clenched.

She gave a painful whimper as Inuyasha stood up, leaving the girl on the ground, wrapped up in his red haori for warmth.

Inuyasha turned around.

"Wha--" he gagged, looking down to see Sango's pull her katana back, blood dripping onto the ground.

He didn't have enough time to react before the taijiya took the opportunity, aiming a swift kick at the hanyou's stomach.

He let out a pained cry, shoving her away lightly. 

"Sango…" he grit out through his teeth angrily, covering the fresh wound on his chest with his left hand.

She looked at him for a moment with her blank expression, wearing that awful smirk.

It almost seemed like…

… the expression Naraku wore. 

'What do I do?!' Inuyasha screamed mentally to himself as the taijiya raised the katana, read to strike him again.

'Move! Do something, Inuyasha!' 

But he didn't. 

"Sango, I don't know what happened to you while you were gone…" 

Sango blinked, allowing him to continue for a moment.

"… but you are strong. Whatever is controlling you, you have to fight it!" he finished.

For the very first time, Sango had felt her mouth move by itself.

She tried speaking, but to no avail. She had no control over what she said…

Then, she heard her voice…

"There is nothing to fight, hanyou" she said in a monotone voice.

He gave her a confused look.

"If you think I'm being controlled by something, you're wrong"

'What am I saying?!' 

"I despise you all" She spat at him, malice leaking with her every word.

'Naraku is pitting me against my friends…' Sango reasoned to herself. She suddenly felt the urge to cry. 

Her friends were all she had left…

'If they begin thinking I betrayed them…

I'll have nothing' Sango thought bitterly, but she couldn't stop herself from attacking.

Inuyasha watched as the taijiya threw him a hateful glare before promptly slashing her katana at him in a graceful sweep.

"Kuso!" he swore, rolling out of that way as she brought the blade down.

Quickly, she turned herself around, racing after him.

"Hiraikotsu!" the taijiya hurled the boomerang at the hanyou, catching him by surprise. He ducked as it passed by, almost taking his head off, had he not moved.

He came back up, obviously forgetting the fact that it was a _boomerang, after all._

He reached for Tetsusaiga, ready to unsheathe it before Hiraikotsu promptly hit him in the back, sending him flying forward.

Inuyasha rolled a few times before coming to a stop. He groaned, using his now unsheathed sword to support him to his feet. 

"Don't tell me that you're working for Naraku now?!" Inuyasha spat angrily, glaring daggers at Sango.

'No! I'd never do that! You should know--' her mind screamed at him, but she couldn't speak, she couldn't tell him. 

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I am" Came her reply, a sinister smirk on her face. 

Hiraikotsu had returned to her and she stood in her battle stance, ready to fight.

"Get ready to die, **hanyou" **

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

**A/N**: Wow I made Sango so mean ^^;;; BWA HA HA HA!! That's just 'cuz I'm so evil! lol. I'm really sorry this chapter sucked I'm just terrible at action -_-;;; I'll make the next one better I promise! Don't hate me! T_T Anyways, I'm still thinking about writing the M/S AU… hmmm I dunno, maybe. I still gotta think about that. Plez R&R. ~.^ 

Next Chapter: **"The Attack – Kouhen (Part 2) **"****

Ja ne!  ~Sango_to_Miroku~

…11-10-03… ¬.¬;; 


	9. The Attack Part 2

**Disclaimer: I own nothing Rumiko Takahashi does… ^^;;**

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

**"Taisetsu na no wa omoide ja naku  
Kitto aeru to negau koto  
Kanjite iru no kanashimi yori mo  
Anata ni aete yokatta to…"**

*** * ***

_"Memories are not what are important to me  
But instead it's my wish to see you  
Even more than sadness what I am feeling is  
That I'm glad to have been able to meet you…"_

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

**Irony**** – _Chapter 8…_**

**…The Attack - Kouhen (Part 2)**…****

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

Inuyasha rolled away from another downswing from Hiraikotsu, quickly getting to his feet.

Sango promptly turned to follow him, Hiraikotsu clashing with the now transformed Tetsusaiga as he brought it up to block another hit.

'What the hell?!' Inuyasha let out a growl, trying his best to maintain his balance as the force of the blow pushed him back.

'Is she getting this power from the shard?' he wondered as the taijiya flicked her wrist, her hidden blade popping out of her sleeve. 

Inuyasha took a step forward, knocking the massive boomerang out of her hands. She swiftly slashed her blade at him.

"Sango, snap out of it!" he shouted, catching her wrist in midair. 

The taijiya effortlessly jerked her hand away, slicing at him again as took a backwards leap.

'I can't keep dodging her attacks forever…' Inuyasha glanced at the unconscious miko, the two-tailed fire cat nuzzling at her to wake up.

The grass she was laying on was stained with her blood, pouring from her fresh wound. 

He had to stop the bleeding fast or else…

The taijiya approached him again, now holding her retrieved Hiraikotsu.

Sango stopped, a familiar voice echoed in her head…

It was Naraku. He was calling her… 

                _Retreat…_

'What is she doing?' Inuyasha watched as the taijiya suddenly turned to an opposite direction, and took off running.

'Is she being called back?' he pondered, racing after her.

"Get back here!" he cried, increasing his speed after noting how unbelievably fast she was going. 

She glanced back slightly, hurling one of her Doku-fun* at the hanyou trailing her.

"What the--" he quickly covered his sensitive nose with a clawed hand as the poison smoke filled the air. 

The taijiya kept running, her faded silhouette slowly getting farther and farther away.

Inuyasha thoughts suddenly focused on the helpless miko on the ground, Kirara licking her cheek to urge her awake. Quickly, he came to his senses. He was at her side in an instant, picking her up, he raced towards the village, away from the poisonous air.

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

"Miroku-sama! What are you thinking?! You shouldn't be moving around yet!" the distressed teenager cried, catching up to him.

"Let's go back into the cabin and--" 

"No." 

Miroku used his staff as a support, leaning on it to help him walk. With every step he took, a few more drips of blood dotted the ground behind him. He knew that the wound on his back had opened up again. He didn't care. He wanted to see Sango. 

Koharu followed after him, obviously not knowing what to do or say.

Miroku kept walking, feeling as if he was about to pass out. With every step he took, his breathing became more and more ragged. Finally, it seemed as if his body had enough. His legs gave in as he fell forward onto his knees, blood dripping from his lower lip. The girl trailing him let out a horrified gasp, falling to her knees beside him. 

"Miroku-sama, please! You can't keep going like this!" she pleaded, trying to pull him up to a standing position. She really didn't know what to do.

Miroku struggled to stand once more, willing his body to keep moving.

After a couple more minutes, the pair had finally reached the end of the village.

"What is this?" Koharu coughed, quickly covering her nose with both hands. 

Miroku narrowed his eyes bringing his left hand up to cover his nose as well, while scanning the area. He saw Inuyasha racing up the hill, the seemingly unconscious miko in his arms, Kirara following the pair. 

Then, the houshi looked past his two comapnions, squinting to see past the dense reddish air the poison smoke had caused. Finally, he found who he had been searching for….

                _Sango…_

He could only watch as his special girl disappeared from view into the forest depths. He didn't understand; questions and worries running amuck through his head all at once.

What was going on?...

Where was she going?...

Why is she leaving?…

…But deep inside, he felt his heart clench in fear and realization. Had he …truly lost her? 

_Was she really… gone? _

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

**A/N**: Of course _even Inuyasha wouldn't be that _stupid and idiotic_ to believe that Sango is working for Naraku And, Miroku is… right there ^^;; See? *points* Plus, Inuyasha wasn't really pissed __at Sango, he was just pissed… in general ^-^;;; It's too early for the Miroku/Sango confrontation ^^;; that will come soon, in upcoming chapters ~.^ Plez R&R !!! Arigatou ^_^ _

Another thing, this fic isn't done yet ^^;; It's just about halfway done, maybe less. So basically, it isn't anywhere near being finished ^^;;;

***Doku-fun—Sango's poisonous gas/powder. She used it in episode 25, while she fought against Inuyasha. Interesting… ^^;;; LOL

Ja ne!  ~Sango_to_Miroku~

…11-13-03… ¬.¬;; 


	10. Memories

**Disclaimer: If I owned Inuyasha, this wouldn't be a fan fiction story, it would be an actual episode by now ^^;; **

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

**"Oite iku kurai narakoko de issho ni shinu!"******

*** * ***

_"I won't leave you here! We'll die here together!"_

-Sango (Episode 118)

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

**Irony**** – _Chapter 9…_**

**…Memories…**

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

"Miroku-sama?"

Silence.

Koharu reached out, poking him lightly in the shoulder, startling him. 

"What is it?" he turned slightly to face her.

The girl held out a small bowl to him, edging it towards him. The ramen was still hot and the steam was visible.

"You haven't eaten anything all day, please take it" she pleaded.

"No thank you" he replied, turning back to his former position on the hill. 

She sighed, carefully placing the bowl beside him on the ground.

Miroku was completely unaware of her presence at the moment, being too caught up with his thoughts and worries to notice. He still hadn't moved from where he was hours ago, atop the hill at the end of the village. He let out a heavy sigh, his eyes drifting over to the forest ahead. The forest into which Sango's fading form had disappeared into earlier. He couldn't save her after all…

Inuyasha had told Miroku what had happened before. About how Kagome got hurt, how Sango attacked them…

About the shikon shard in Sango's body…

Koharu watched the houshi carefully, gazing at him with her soft eyes. 

'I think he… really loves this girl…' she smiled slightly, though her heart ached. The houshi _was_ her very first love, after all. 

She _had to know._

"Miroku-sama?"

"Hmm?" he responded quietly. He didn't turn to face her this time.

"The taijiya…" she paused for a second, "Sango-san…"

He flinched uncomfortably as he heard her name, shifting slightly on the grass.

"Do you love her?" 

The houshi froze.

Why was she asking him this?!

"I…" he cut off, speech suddenly leaving him.

He sighed. No point in denying it anymore…

"Yes…" he whispered, the whistles of the heavy wind drowning out his voice slightly. 

She heard him though, tears welled up in her eyes but she wouldn't let them fall. She would be happy for him…

Koharu could tell how miserable the houshi was at the moment; having such an anguished look on his face it almost made _her feel guilty._

"Miroku-sama, if you love her... I **know you will get her back" the girl finished confidently, before promptly turning around and heading back inside the hut. It would be dark soon; the sun was disappearing slowly behind the horizon, plastering the sky with a beautiful pink and orange color.**

Miroku's gazed at the sunset, taking in Koharu's words. 

                _"If you love her… I **know** you will get her back"_

He **did love her…**

He **would get her back.**

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

Sango knelt on her knees again, her head bowed towards the ground. The room was dark and the silence was eerie. 

"What the hell are you doing?!" she rasped out as he placed his cold hand on her head. She had found her voice.

He chuckled, choosing to ignore her question as she miserably tried to squirm, trying hopelessly to recover control over her body.

"You couldn't kill them" she heard his low whisper, her vision starting to blur again.

"I'm making sure that you will not hesitate again…when your friends find you…"

She bit her lower lip, closing her eyes as a familiar dizziness started to overcome her. 

"It will be either them or you. In the end, someone has to die…" his voice drowned out as she lost consciousness…

Everything was dark…

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

An entire week had passed since the group's encounter with Sango. Since then, they had continued traveling, leaving Koharu's village behind.

They had been camping out, they fought a few youkai, but it was basically nothing out of the ordinary. 

Miroku had barely spoken since then, barely eaten. He wouldn't stop for anything, he barely slept. 

"Miroku-sama, we are stopping for the night" Kagome called from behind him, her injured arm was still healing.

"Let's keep going" he kept walking, never slowing his pace. 

Shippou clung from Inuyasha's shoulder, half asleep.

He yawned, "Why is Miroku acting so weird? He's like a zombie or something" he added dryly, letting out another yawn.

"Oi, bouzo!" 

Miroku turned to see an angry hanyou, face-to-face with him.

"Kagome is tired; we are stopping for the night. You won't be able to save Sango if die beforehand" he pointed out.

Miroku winced when he mentioned _her_ name, he stopped walking.

The houshi sighed. Inuyasha was right…

"Alright, but tomorrow morning we'll wake at dawn and continue. Will that be alright Kagome-sama?"

Inuyasha growled, eyeing Kagome, waiting for her response. 

The miko smiled, setting her sleeping bag on the ground, "Yes, it's fine"

Miroku settled against a tree, clutching his staff. He leaned his head back, closing his eyes. Slumber found him quickly, dreams and memories flashing through his head…

                _"Sango's what the matter?" he sat beside her on the grassy slope._

_                "You… would have been fine without me right?"_

_                "That's not true. The one who defeated the youkai was you."_

_                She shifted uncomfortably on the grass, her eyes locked with the ground._

_                "You helped me" she countered._

_                "I borrowed your power, because I believe in your skills"_

_                Her cheeks flushed slightly._

_                "Sango… you came… because you were worried about me, right?" she looked shocked at the question, not knowing what to say._

_                "Well that's because…" she stuttered nervously "…of course I would worry! You lose your head when it comes to women and your lecherous mind always takes over"_

_                He looked away._

_                "I'm sorry. I couldn't leave a woman who might have been in trouble."_

_                She turned to face him._

_                "Well, I'm not jealous or anything--" she blushed a deep shade of red as he placed his hand atop hers, smiling at her._

_                "More than any girl… having you worry about me makes me the happiest"_

He remembered waking up, finding her hovering over him with her saddened eyes after another encounter with Kohaku…

                _"I'm sorry houshi-sama. You drew in the poison because of me…"_

_                Her distraught eyes broke his heart as he tried reassuring her, even in his weakened state._

_                "San…go…" he rasped out weakly, she leaned over him._

_                "What?"_

_                "Don't make such a sad face… there is hope for Kohaku as well…"_

_                She smiled through the tears she was holding back._

_                "Houshi-sama…"_

_                "So smile", she did… _

Her crying for him at Hakureizan…

                _He could feel the moisture of her tear on his cheek as he opened his eyes weakly, the poison from Naraku's insects was spreading…_

_                "I think I… overdid it a bit…" he explained, tears pooling in her eyes and cascading down her face._

_                "Please survive this for me…" he pleaded. She shook her head._

_                "No!" he felt her weigh collapse onto his chest as she clung to his robes. He closed his eyes._

_                "I won't leave you here! We'll die here together!"       _               __

Miroku's eyes shot open, his forehead dotted with a cold sweat. He looked around, seeing his sleeping companions. 

It was a dream…

He remembered her words…

                _"We'll die here together!"_

Then, he decided. He'd never leave her…. 

'If I can't save her… I won't let her die alone' He closed his eyes again, leaning his head back against the tree. 

"Sango…"

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

**A/N**: I just had to write in some flashbacks! I love all of those episodes, plus it makes the ending I have planned so much sadder and more dramatic Flashbacks are from episode 56, 51, and then 118! ^_^ BWA HA HA HA!!! lol I started writing another Miroku/Sango fic lately, though it isn't A/U. Let's say I got Inuyasha, Kagome and Shippou… even Kirara out of the picture, so they are elsewhere, searching for the Shikon Shards… except lots of M/S fluff, ^_^ Miroku and Sango go off to help a village, being attacked by a youkai- which feeds only on single women. Miroku isn't willing to take the risk of something happening to Sango, so they pose to be married. But then the truth is discovered… What will happen to Sango… hmm…^^;; It's better than it sounds hehe. Lots of fluff ^__^ Fluff=Fun. This fic will NOT be lemon, I don't do lemons ^_^;;;; I gotta think of a name for it tho… hmm… Anything that sounds catchy… any suggestions? ^-^

Ja ne!  ~Sango_to_Miroku~

…11-13-03… ¬.¬;; 


	11. Confusion

**Disclaimer: Inuyasha ain't mine.**** But feel free to send Miroku to me for Christmas ~.^ LoL**

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

**"Zutto suki da shinu hodo…"******

*** * ***

_"I love you so much that I could die…"_

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

**Irony**** – _Chapter 10…_**

**…Confusion…**

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

"There it is!" Kagome called out, pointing at the red wall of miasma ahead of them.

"How the hell are we supposed to go through that?" Inuyasha grumbled, looking annoyed.

"Like this" Kagome drew an arrow from her quiver, grabbing her bow, "I'll purify the miasma"

Miroku stood a few feet back in his solemn silence. 

_This is it…_

He could feel Naraku's evil presence nearby.

Sango was here too…

He sighed, his eyes locked with the ground. He was scared. 

Scared of facing her. Scared of losing her… 

"Hurry up, wench!" The harsh comment snapped Miroku out of it, he looked up and watched as hanyou and miko continued quarreling.

"I'm trying to concentrate!" Kagome yelled back, a determined look on her face. 

"Just shoot, Dammit!"

Kagome flinched angrily, yet ignored the comment, trying to focus. 

Miroku watched as the miko took aim carefully, her body surrounded by a bright blue glow. She took a deep breath, letting her arrow fly.

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

Naraku chuckled, his eyes fixed on the sight before him. The fools…

They had done exactly what he expected. They had come to save the taijiya. He had left her to wait, slightly past the barrier. 

_In the end, someone has to die…_

Either the taijiya would kill her comrades, or they her. There was no other option. 

Surely, they would try resisting; they would dodge her attacks and try to reason. But how long would they hold up?

In the end, removing the shard was their only option. But… it's lodged into her stomach too deeply. Removing it would undoubtedly end her life. 

A sinister smirk was plastered on Naraku's face, long waves of his thick black hair draped over his shoulders, his baboon pelt covering it. He enjoyed torturing them. It brought him pleasure to watch their pain and suffering. This would be the houshi's time to suffer. His love for the taijiya was obvious, even to Naraku. He watched solemnly as the miko penetrated through his barrier of miasma, the hanyou and houshi behind her. 

_This will be fun…_

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

"Yatta!" Kagome exclaimed cheerfully, she had accomplished her goal. The miasma had been purified. 

The fog cleared up slowly as Inuyasha hefted the miko onto his back.

"Inuyasha…" she said quietly. His ears twitched slightly.

"What is it?"

"I sense shards, lots of them. It must be Naraku…" she explained.

"Then let's go!" he cried, starting to run forward before…

"Itai! Bitch, what the hell was that for?!" he shouted angrily as she released her grip on his hair. 

"What about Sango-chan?" she prodded, turning to look at Miroku, who was currently ignoring them.

He gazed intently into the clearing fog, his attention on the slick black figure in the distance. It couldn't be… could it?

"Sango…?" he whispered out loud, taking a few steps forward.

Inuyasha continued…

"We'll save Sango too! I can smell here around here somewhere…" he sniffed the air.

Kagome gazed at him hopefully, "Well?"

"San--" Miroku interrupted the hanyou.

"She's here" he said, pointing towards the hazy, yet unmistakable form of the taijiya in the distance. She didn't move. She just stood, as if she was… waiting for something. Or someone.

"Inuyasha, you and Kagome-sama go after Naraku and the Shikon no Kakera" Miroku said, turning away from the pair.

"But, what about you, Miroku-sama?" Kagome questioned worriedly.

"Stupid bouzo, want to try get yourself killed again?" Inuyasha added dryly "This time, you might actually pull it off", Kagome gave him an evil glare. He quickly noted it, shutting up instantly. 

Miroku ignored the hanyou, turning to Kagome. 

"I will take care of Sango" he finished before promptly turning around. He sighed exasperatedly before running towards the castle gates. Where Sango was…

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

He stood, facing her. He was too afraid to move. For the past few weeks that she had been gone, all he had wanted to do was to hold her in his arms. Looking at her now, she was as beautiful as ever. But… how could he save her? Now that he thought about it, he had absolutely no plan. Not even the slightest idea of what to do. What would he do if he was forced to fight her? He could never hurt her…

As if on queue, Sango charged at him, clutching her katana. She slashed at the poor houshi mercilessly as he desperately tried to block her strikes with his shakujou. Slash after slash, the houshi was slowly getting exhausted. 

"Sango, I won't fight you!" he cried, hoping to snap her out of the trance she was in, even though he knew deep inside that it was pointless. 

She brought her sword down again, full strength as he brought his staff up to block. He felt himself being pushed back… 

She grit her teeth, throwing her weight at him. With a cry, he stumbled backwards, quickly getting to his feet and back into his defensive stance. 

She was getting this power from the Shikon no Kakera. And after all, he was only human. Miroku flinched as the sharp metal edge just barely missed his neck as he dodged another swing. Frantically, he scampered away from the taijiya, catching his breath.

Damn she was fast…

The fight had just started and he was already growing tired.  

He glanced at her, catching a glimpse of her face. 

"Sango?…" he whispered, confused at her expression. He could see the tears brimming, really to fall. Her hands were shaking as she struggled to keep the katana stable. 

It hurt him so much to see her like this, but he couldn't do anything. After all, knowing Naraku, this was just another one of his tricks. 

"Ho…houshi-sama…" his breath caught in his throat as he froze, staring at the woman before him. Did she just…

A single tear ran down her cheek. 

"Sango…" he could feel her struggling, trying so hard to stay still, to keep her katana steady. She was trying so hard not to fight him…

"Houshi-sama… you…" she cut off, her eyes dilated as she gave a pained cry.

                _Kill him…_

She gasped as he took a few steps forward, towards her. Her head was throbbing and she felt as if she was repeatedly getting stabbed in the stomach with daggers. She clenched her teeth together to keep herself from crying out. Was… was this what Kohaku had felt? Was this why he refused to remember? Was this the pain he felt everyday? But guilt tripping herself obviously wasn't helping the situation… 

                _Kill the houshi…_

Miroku stood, confused at her actions. What the hell was he supposed to do?…

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

**A/N**: OMG im sooo sorry I took so long to update! I'm trying so hard to not forget about this story along with getting good grades and managing school… please bear with me, the next chapter won't take another 3 weeks to post, I promise! ~.^

Ja ne!  ~Sango_to_Miroku~

…12-13-03… ¬.¬;; 


	12. The Final Blow

**Disclaimer: I don't feel like writing an original disclaimer so… I don't own Inuyasha. There, you happy now? ^^;;;**

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

**"Anata no sei janai no gomen ne  
Toki ga tateba wasureru **kara******  
Dakedo onegai yume no naka de wa  
Zutto soba ni isaset**e ne"****

*** * ***

"It's not your fault, forgive me  
After time passes by, you will forget this  
But please, I beg of you, inside my dreams  
Always stay right by my side"****

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

**Irony**** – _Chapter 11…_**

**…The Final Blow…**

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

Miroku was frozen, he couldn't move. With all his heart, he wanted to hug and comfort the distraught taijiya, but his instincts advised against it. 

He watched her for a moment longer, clutching her stomach in agony, her teeth clenched in pain. She let out a pained moan before crumbling to the ground, her katana lying beside her, Hiraikotsu on her back. He glanced at her face…

_Oh god, not the tears…_

He sighed, screw his instincts. 

Carefully, he walked a few steps towards her. 

"Sango?" he whispered. At the sound of his voice, her eyes snapped open.

He knelt by her, opening his arms to hug her, surprised when she shoved him away fiercely.

"Don't…" she rasped out, shutting her eyes tightly once again.

The houshi noted the intense dark energy emitting from the Shikon no Kakera in her stomach. Sure, he wasn't Kagome, but this was hard to miss…

"Please leave, I don't want to hurt you…" 

"I can't just abandon y--"

"Go!" she cut him off, gripping the strap from Hiraikotsu on her back. She looked up at him, her eyes pleading silently. For a few moments, they didn't move, staring at each other.

Finally, she hung her head; her bangs covered her eyes as she balled her hands into fists.

_Kill him…_

The voice in her head repeated. Her mind screamed but she couldn't move. She had lost her control again…

                _Kill him…_

He brought his hands up to her shoulders, gripping them tightly to get her attention. It worked. She looked up to face him, their eyes met.

She looked different somehow…

This wasn't Sango anymore. Her dull expression scared him, her eyes looks dead and blank. 

"S…Sango?" he questioned, almost fearfully.

No reply. 

Instead, she threw herself forward, grasping her massive boomerang in her hands. Miroku cursed mentally, jumping out of the way as she brought the Hiraikotsu down where he had just stood, leaving a small crater in the earth. He came to a stop, trying to catch his breath as she readjusted her position; hurling her weapon at him again. He barely dodged that time, rolling out of the way. Sango quickly retrieved the boomerang, swinging it at the houshi blindly as he brought his shakujou up to block the strikes. 

"Sang--" he was cut off as the massive weapon hit him directly in the chest full force, knocking the wind out of him. Quickly, she knocked his shakujou out of his hands as he fell backwards. Giving him no chance to get to his feet, the taijiya kicked him swiftly in the stomach. Miroku groaned, coughing up a few drops of blood as Sango picked up her katana.

_Houshi-sama__, move! Do something, anything! Her mind screamed silently._

Preparing to give the final blow, she raised her katana over her head. Miroku looked up, watching sadly as she thrust the sharp metal edge straight at him. 

_Oh god…_

Closing his eyes, he waiting for the blow to fall. Finally admitting it to himself, he knew this would happen all along. After all, he could never hurt her. 

The beautiful taijiya he had fought along side with on their journey…

 The woman he had planned to marry and raise a family with after the Kazzaana was gone…

 Sango was… _his special girl…_

He never thought it would end like this…

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

Naraku smirked. His plan had played out perfectly…

"Kagura" his voice was low and cool. She looked up, annoyed as usual.

"What is it?" she questioned, a query eyebrow raised.

"We're leaving now. There is no point in fighting pointless battles. The hanyou and miko will be here soon"

She nodded, bringing her hand up, pulling a small white feather from her hair.__

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

"Dammit, he's gone!" Inuyasha shouted, obviously pissed off.

"Who?" Kagome questioned, giving the hanyou a confused look.

"Naraku, who else?! His scent has disappeared!"

Kagome sighed, "Now that you mention it, I don't sense any more Shikon no Kakera…"

Inuyasha growled as he stopped running, turning the other way.

"Well, we should head back. Miroku-sama probably needs our help dealing with Sango-cha--"

"Blood" Inuyasha whispered, cutting the miko off. His ears perking up as he sniffed the air thoroughly.

"Huh?"

"Fuck, I smell a lot of blood!" the hanyou growled as he took off running again.

_Dammit__…_

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

**A/N**: ^___^ Bwa ha ha ha ha! Evil cliffie! Ok, I'm going to give you a choice now since this story is coming to a close…

**…A…** A Sad, mushy ending with possible character death.

**…B…** A Happy, cliché, and mushy ending.

Please vote and tell me what you think! THX!! ~.^

Ja ne!  ~Sango_to_Miroku~

…12-16-03… ¬.¬;; 


	13. Relief

**Disclaimer**:** I own Nothing.**

**~*~*~*~*~*~**
    
    _"Dou yara, issho ni shini sokoneta na"_

*** * ***
    
    "It seems we failed to die together after all"
    
    --Miroku, Episode 118****

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

**Irony** – _Chapter 12…_****

**…Relief…**

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

_"I'm making sure that you will not hesitate again…when your friends find you…_

_…It will be either them or you. In the end, someone has to die…"_

She remembered Naraku's words. Damn him, he was right…

The vision had been firmly implanted in her mind. She could see herself driving the blade smoothly into his body. And then, a single thrill of blinding, white pain shot from her stomach to the very tips of her fingers. Sango released the blade she hadn't even realized she was holding. For a moment, she didn't realize why her own hands were covered in blood. Until realization hit and she got a screaming shock of fear, tears brimming and ready to fall. _Oh god…_

After all that… she had resisted killing him with everything she had…

_'Please don't let it be his blood…' she pleaded silently as she slowly opened her eyes. She saw the houshi before her, his horrified expression._

_'He's okay…' Relief flooded her, despite the terrible pain shooting through her body. _

_'This blood is mine…' For a second, she was terrified. She didn't want to die…_

And then, she realized that she didn't care. The man she loved was alive. At the moment, her life didn't matter. She was finally free from the Shikon no Kakera…

Sango grit her teeth, the pain was making in hard to stay conscious. Slowly, she could feel her body go numb as her legs turned to jelly. She fell forward, preparing to hit the ground. Suddenly, she felt a pair of warm, strong arms around her.

_'Houshi-sama…'_

He pulled her body closer to his, embracing her gently.

"Sango…" he whispered into her ear. She could feel his warm breath on her neck and yet, she was so cold.

"Sango, stay awake!" he cried as her heavy eyelids began to close. She looked up at him wearily, her vision too blurry to see clearly.

"Houshi-sama…" she whispered.

Miroku leaned in to hear her.

"I'm glad…" she winced, a few tears running down her face.

Miroku didn't know what to say. She was glad?! But… she was dying…

No! He wouldn't allow himself to think that way. Sango was the strongest woman he had ever met. She was a youkai taijiya. She had been through injuries worse than this…She would live through this…

"Sango…" he managed to choke out.

"Why?" he tightened his grip on her, feeling her body temperature dropping rapidly. She was freezing.

She gasped lightly, opening her mouth to speak, but nothing seemed to come out.

Miroku felt himself growing angry.

"Why?! Why would you do this?" he choked back tears. She brought her right hand up, lightly caressing his cheek. He gasped.

She was… smiling? Why?

"I…" she took a ragged breath as he covered her hand with his, pressing it harder into his cheek.

"I wanted you to live…" her voice faded to a light whisper as she finished speaking.

Miroku could only watch in horror as her eyes closed and her body went limp.

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

**A/N: I dunno if that was mushy or not, but… uhhh… ^^;; That was weird to write, kinda hard. I'm not very good at the whole dying mushy speeches, sorry. I don't even know which option this is, since it's not exactly like any of the choices I gave. I guess you guys won't know if Sango is dead or not until next chapter ^^;; I know this one was short but if I added more on, it would spoil the mood _and_ the cliffie ^__^ Since it's winter break and all, I'll update sooner than usual. Thx for reading, please R&R! ~.^ BTW, before I forget, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays minna-san! ^_^**

Ja ne!  ~Sango_to_Miroku~

…12-24-03… ¬.¬;; 


	14. Awake

**Disclaimer: Isn't the whole idea of even ****having a disclaimer making it obvious enough that I **don't** own Inuyasha? Oy **

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

**Author's Note: Oh my gosh, I'm soooooo sorry!!! I'm so terrible T_T I can't believe I haven't posted for _over a month_. Truth is, I've had this chapter done for quite a while now. I just hate how cliché it is. Also, this chapter sucks! I hate it, yuck!!! It's sooo boring and pointless! *Sigh* I suck, no matter how much I try, I just ****can't handle killing off any of my favorite characters. I mean, want me to kill Koharu? I'm all for it! Shima? No problem. _But_, I just can't kill Sango… or Miroku ^^;; (I feel bad ever _hurting Miroku, weird, I know). Anyways, I'm sooo sorry for the long wait. Oh, one more thing- thanks to **SM together** for e-mailing me and snapping me back into reality. Otherwise, who knows how long I would have waited before posting, ne? Read her Sango/Miroku fics, they rock ^__^ **R&R ~.^**_**

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

**Irony**** – _Chapter 13…_**

**…Awake…**

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

_Three days._

It had been three whole days that he had stayed beside her, waiting for her eyes to open. He hadn't left her side- not even for a second. He hadn't slept nor ate. Kagome had tried bringing him food and water, trying to convince him to get some rest, but he declined absently.

Miroku sighed as he covered Sango with a warm wool blanket. He, himself was freezing. The temperature was so low that he could see the air in front of his face as he exhaled. The heavy rain outside hadn't stopped pouring ever since they had temporarily settled into the tiny hut on the outskirts of the forest three days ago. It wasn't too large or comfortable, but it had two rooms and wasn't falling apart despite the howling strong winds. Good enough.

Miroku quickly glanced down as the taijiya let out a low whimper. Her face contorted into a pained expression. 

_Are her wounds hurting her? A bad dream?_

The houshi bent forward, planting a light kiss on her forehead. She was burning up…

He took a wet piece of fabric and placed it carefully on her forehead to help lower the fever. At contact, her features relaxed slightly. But Miroku remained still, in the same position, kneeling beside her. As he watched her, his lips upturned to a light smile. Sango had always amazed him- not only as a fighter, but also as a woman. 

Even in the condition she was in. Even after living through a near-death experience, she was still the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes upon. 

He continued gazing at her intently, as his thoughts wandered three days back.

_"I wanted you to live…" were the last words she had said to him before passing out._

He just couldn't understand…

_                Did she really do this to herself for **me**?..._

As he was pondering, Miroku hadn't even noticed his face _accidentally drawing closer to hers. Before he knew it, their noses were barely touching. _

All the urges he stopped himself from acting upon that he had ever since he met her… 

The fact that she was always so close and yet so far away from him…

All the reasons for why he had restrained himself from doing anything. In the end, if it hadn't been for Naraku, he wouldn't have the Kazaana. If he didn't have the Kazaana, he and Sango could be free to do as they pleased, get married, have kids, and live happily ever after. He wouldn't have to be afraid of hurting her. He wouldn't have to fear dying and leaving her all alone with a newborn baby. And yet…

_If it hadn't been for Naraku in the first place…___

_If Naraku hadn't tricked Kikyou and Inuyasha into betraying one another…___

_If Naraku had never slaughtered Sango's village and set her brother- Kohaku against her…___

_If Naraku never cursed my family with the Kazaana…___

That's when realization finally hit him. If it wasn't for everything that had happened, all the pain and suffering…

_Myself, Inuyasha, Kagome, Shippou, Kirara, and… **Sango**…_

Naraku, the one that all of them hated most had brought them all together.

Now _that's irony._

Miroku sighed. What the heck? She would never know, right? No harm done. 

He shut his eyes as his lips just barely brushed against Sango's. For just that brief moment, he melted inside. There were no words to describe how he felt when their lips touched, even if it was just for a second. The feeling was amazing. Slowly, and reluctantly, Miroku pulled away. He opened his eyes to find Sango staring back at him in shock, her cheeks the hue of a bright red tomato. Seeing her awake and _alive_, happiness and relief washed over him as he stared back at her. After waiting three days, he had started fearing the worst. Fearing that she might never wake up again. That she might die. And yet, here she was looking straight at him.

Even as injured as she was, he surely expected her to slap him for kissing her…

And yet, she only smiled.

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

**A/N # 2**: OMG I'm so sorry -once again- that this chapter sucked and took so long to post. And it was so short, ugh!! I'm ashamed of myself. Though, I'm warning you people, next chapter is **major ****WAFF **alert**. It's going to be wayyy too mushy for my likes- definitely vomit-worthy. LoL, Just letting you people know. ^__^ Thanks for reading, please review! ^-^ Plus, next chapter is probably the last one T_T *sniff sniff* (Some or you might be happy though, who knows lol) . Though I do have a couple of fics that I'm working on currently, I'll probably post those soon after I finished posting this story. **

Next Chapter: ***_E_*****_p_*****_i_*****_l_*****_o_*****_g_*****_u_*****_e_***

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

Ja ne!  ~Sango_to_Miroku~

…2-1-04… ¬.¬;; 


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